Cole Porter famously wrote that, “Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it…” Apparently he could have included wasps, judging from this shot I took on Monday of mating wasps at Huntley Meadows Park.
I had my macro lens on my camera and was checking out a yellow flowering plant, which I think is goldenrod, when I heard the buzzing of an insect. I assumed that it was a bee, but when it landed, I realized it was a wasp. As I looked through my viewfinder and focused more closely on the subject, it became apparent that it was not one wasp—it was a mating pair.
They didn’t stay long, but I was able to get a reasonably clear shot of the couple as they “do it.”
If you are not familiar with the Cole Porter song that I referenced, “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love), check out a YouTube video of Ella Fitzgerald singing a jazzy version or a more traditional arrangement by Conal Fowkes.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 